Saturday, August 7, 2010

Liverpool woman still 'critical' after fall from RV

MILTON -- A Liverpool woman is still at Geisinger Medical Center after falling out of an RV onto Route 147 Thursday morning. A nursing supervisor says 67-year-old Mary Jane Humphrey remains in critical condition after falling from the moving vehicle onto the busy highway.

Humphrey was a passenger in the RV driving north near Route 642 in West Chillisquaque Township at about 10:45 a.m. Humphrey apparently got up to walk toward the back of the RV, lost her balance and fell through an unlocked rear door and onto the roadway. (Sara Bartlett)

Woman in Freeburg was hit by her own car

FREEBURG – A woman in Freeburg was treated and released from the hospital after she was apparently hit by her own vehicle. Authorities aren’t out with full details yet, but we know that 61-year-old Diane Kinslow of Freeburg was near her car when she was knocked down and the vehicle hit her.

Other circumstances surrounding that incident are out yet. Kinslow was reportedly taken by Life Flight to Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, she was treated and released from the medical center this morning. Other details aren’t out from state troopers in Snyder County after that unusual incident last night in Freeburg.

Assault leads to probation for Sunbury man

SUNBURY -- A Sunbury man was sentenced to two and a half years probation after assaulting teen girl. 27-year-old Thomas Miller appeared before Northumberland County Judge William Harvey Wiest Friday. He pleaded no contest to indecent assault for an incident in October 2008 involving a 19-year-old Sunbury woman.

The assault occurred in Miller's home. In addition to Miller's probation, he was also ordered to have no contact with the woman and to refrain from entering bars or consuming alcohol. He will also have to register under the Megan's Law mandates for the next 10 years. (Sara Bartlett)

Man injured in Thursday crash released from GMC

SUNBURY -- An Elysburg man injured in a Thursday morning crash near Sunbury's Oaklyn Elementary School is now out of Geisinger Medical Center. A nursing supervisor says 30-year-old Roy Schlesinger was released Friday.

Police say Schlesinger struck a tree with his pickup truck just south of the school along Route 61. He'll be cited for the crash that drew a big emergency response and slowed traffic in the area for more than an hour Thursday morning. (Sara Bartlett)

To pay or not to pay local school directors

SUNBURY – Should we pay school board members a salary or a stipend? That was among the questions which came up during Friday’s On The Mark (OTM) program. School directors currently serve without compensation.

Former Selinsgrove board member Cindy O’Hora said, ‘no’ to the question, saying the community is best served by unpaid board members. She says money would draw in corrupt people more interested in lining their own pockets. OTM co-host Ben Reichley says a little incentive could improve performance, and attract people with business backgrounds.

Citizen involvement in local issues, and governor Ed Rendell’s recent visit to tout highway bridge repairs were among the other topics from Friday’s show. It can be heard in its entirety online at www.wkok.com (Matt Farrand)

Citizens take action, have impact

SUNBURY – Citizens in a number of local communities are taking action and speaking out on a variety of issues. Among them, “Option C,” an alternate plan for school construction which is being considered by the Lewisburg Area School District.

Additionally, Northumberland borough’s sidewalk ordinance is being examined by borough council after residents complained about spotty enforcement. Appearing on our On The Mark program as a co-host, Mike Molesevich of Molesevich Environmental says ideas that spring from individuals or groups of citizens are signs of a healthy democracy.

Molesevich is also a member of Lewisburg Borough Council and encourages change from the ground up. Molesevich is an occasional contributor to WKOK’s On The Mark program. His comments from Friday’s program can be heard in their entirety at www.wkok.com (Matt Farrand)

The Drs. Paolucci on Roundtable with mental health update

DANVILLE: Roundtable this weekend is a mental health update. Dr. Stephen Paolucci and Dr. Susan Paolucci are on the show talking about new medicines, new treatments and the new advertisements for psychotropic drugs you can see these days.

Dr. Susan Paolucci told us, that prompt patients to ask their family doctors about the drugs they’ve seen advertised on TV. She said advertising helps reduce the stigma of mental health issues, but it can also oversimplify the complexity of mental health treatment.

The Paolucci’s are both are Geisinger psychiatrists, Stephen is the head of the division of psychiatry and they discuss mental illnesses and treatments on Roundtable this weekend. You can hear the entire Mental Health Update on Roundtable this weekend on Roundtable.

The interview airs Sunday on Eagle 107 (107.3 FM) at 6:00 AM, 100.9 the Valley at 6:00 AM, Newsradio 1070 WKOK (1070 AM) at 9 AM, Talkradio 1380 WMLP (1380AM) at 11 AM, 94KX WQKX (94.1 FM) at 11 PM and anytime at www.wkok.com.

Counties about to extinguish their burn bans

MIDDLEBURG – The 30 day burn bans enacted in Snyder, Union and Northumberland Counties are set to expire this weekend. On Sunday, Union and Northumberland County’s burn bans will end. Also Sunday afternoon, the burn ban will end in Snyder County, according to Commissioner Malcolm Derk.

The commissioners do have the option to cancel a burn ban before the 30 days are up according to the law. However, the commissioners all felt keeping the ban in place for 30 days was the safest way to go. The commissioners say they were in constant contact with state experts regarding weather and ground conditions, acting cautiously after a series of wildfires hit the area last year during dry weather. (Ali Stevens)

Man in jail after assaulting 9-year-old boy

SHAMOKIN -- A Shamokin man is in jail after sexually assaulting a child. Police say Russell Carl would sleep alone with a 9-year-old boy, while he lived in a home with the boy's mother and another child.

Carl allegedly had the boy touch him inappropriately and also gave him cigarettes and marijuana.

Carl faces numerous counts including rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and indecent assault. He is in Northumberland County Prison on $100,000 bail. (Sara Bartlett)

Lots of kayaks in the river this weekend for the “Paddle between the Parks” event

SUNBURY – More than 100 people are expected to paddle their kayaks down the Susquehanna River Saturday for the 2nd annual “Paddle Between The Parks” event. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of Shikellamy State Park and the Friends of Milton State Park.

Mark Cox is one of the organizers of the Shikellamy group and says they will leave from Milton at about 8 a.m., make one stop at a local campground and then travel to the Shikellamy Marina. They expect to arrive at the Marina around 1 p.m., depending on water levels and the speed of the river.

People in Lewisburg and Winfield can watch the boats go by, however Cox says the view from the river is a truly unique experience. He says last year they saw a bald eagle land on the Lewisburg River Bridge. (Ali Stevens)

Phone scams more frequent, police urging caution

SELINSGROVE -- Selinsgrove State Police are warning residents of possible scams going on throughout the region. Police say recently they have received numerous complaints from individuals who have gotten calls saying they have won sweepstakes, but they must send money to collect their prize. Police are strongly urging the public to be suspicious of any notifications such as this by phone. (Sara Bartlett)

Geisinger outpatient clinic is closed as a precaution after mold is discovered

DANVILLE – Geisinger Medical Center has temporarily closed an outpatient facility in Danville after mold was discovered. The hemodialysis unit on Justin Drive was closed yesterday and will remain closed indefinitely while repairs are made. Officials at Geisinger say this could take several weeks.

The unit will be cleaned and repaired and dialysis patients scheduled to receive treatment at the Justin Drive location will now be seen at the dialysis unit on the main campus of Geisinger in Danville.

Geisinger says the recently constructed dialysis unit passed all Department of Health inspections prior to being opened to patients in June. The mold appears to have arisen from water leakage caused by faulty nylon fittings, which have since been replaced. (Ali Stevens)

Latest Pennsylvania news, business update, lottery numbers and entertainment

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The first debate between the Republican and Democrat running for Pennsylvania governor is scheduled Sept. 27. Aides to Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Dan Onorato said Friday that the candidates plan to attend a debate at an annual Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry dinner in Hershey. Former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel will moderate. The election is Nov. 2. Also invited to debate are the two candidates for U.S. Senate, Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey. Neither has accepted the invitation yet.

PENNDEL, Pa. (AP) - A counselor at the Pennsylvania facility where an autistic man died after being left in a hot van has been arrested on drug charges. Bristol Township police say 34-year-old Uron Brinson of Trenton, N.J., sold $5,000 worth of cocaine in the parking lot of Woods Services on Friday to a police informant. Police say Brinson also sold $1,120 in cocaine on July 26 in the parking lot of the special needs organization in Bucks County. The 12-year employee at Woods Services is being held on $200,000 cash bail. It couldn't immediately be determined if he has an attorney. Bryan Nevins, a 20-year-old Woods Services resident with autism, died July 24 inside a van on a 97-degree day. Another counselor is charged in his death.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - The first debate between the Republican and Democrat running for Pennsylvania governor is scheduled Sept. 27. Aides to Republican Tom Corbett and Democrat Dan Onorato said Friday that the candidates plan to attend a debate at an annual Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry dinner in Hershey. Former ABC News anchor Ted Koppel will moderate. Also invited to debate are the two candidates for U.S. Senate, Joe Sestak and Pat Toomey. Neither has accepted the invitation yet.

Update on the latest in business

WASHINGTON (AP) - A House Republican is calling for a hearing into a former Fannie Mae employee's allegations that the mortgage giant fired her after she criticized how the company was running a government loan assistance program. The former Fannie Mae executive, Caroline Herron, made the allegations in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed June. Fannie Mae executives, the lawsuit alleges, resisted her calls to require borrowers to provide proof of their incomes up front before entering into loan modifications. She also charged that they ignored her efforts to develop a Web-based system for collecting borrowers' information. Rep Spencer Bachus, the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, asked for the hearing in a letter to the committee's chairman, Rep. Barney Frank.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - A Saudi telecom official says a ban on BlackBerry messenger service in the kingdom has not taken effect pending ongoing negotiations with its Canada-based maker to avert the shutdown. The official said on condition of anonymity because he's not authorized to speak to the press that talks continued Saturday and was upbeat about the outcome. The Saudi telecommunications regulatory agency announced earlier this week the service would be halted Friday. The kingdom is one of a number of countries expressing concern that the device is a security threat because encrypted information sent on the phones is routed through overseas computers - making it impossible for local governments to monitor.

NEW YORK (AP) - Stocks sank for most of Friday but pared their losses in late afternoon trading. The Dow Jones industrials ended down 21 points after being down as much as 160 earlier in the day. A disappointing jobs report sent investors out of stocks and the dollar. The S&P fell 4 points. The Nasdaq dropped about 4 1/2 points.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama sees a silver lining in the unemployment report. He says the country is now consistently adding jobs instead of losing them in huge numbers. But he says progress "needs to come faster." The Labor Department says July's unemployment rate remained at 9.5 percent as private employers added a net total of 71,000 jobs.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Consumer borrowing fell in June for a fifth straight month as households keep cutting back on credit card use. The Federal Reserve says borrowing dropped at an annual rate of $1.3 billion in June. Americans backed away from swiping their credit cards for the 21st straight month. That offset a rise in the number of auto loans.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP isn't ruling out drilling again someday in the oil reservoir under the Gulf of Mexico where it's just capped off a blown-out well. Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles says "there's lots of oil and gas" down there. It's believed to hold nearly $4 billion worth of crude.

PALO ALTO, Calif. (AP) - Hewlett-Packard says CEO Mark Hurd is stepping down following a sexual-harassment probe. The probe concludes the company's sexual-harassment policy was not violated, but that its standards of business conduct were. Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak has been named as HP's interim CEO.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Pennsylvania Lottery Numbers

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - These Pennsylvania lotteries were drawn Friday:

Big 4

7-5-9-1

Cash 5

05-13-16-29-42

Daily Number

4-8-0

Evening Quinto

3-1-4-4-5

Mega Millions

07-13-30-33-54, Mega Ball: 30

Megaplier

3

Midday Big 4

8-6-5-8

Midday Number

2-6-3

Midday Quinto

2-4-9-8-4

Treasure Hunt

05-08-19-28-30

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Emma Thompson gets Hollywood sidewalk star

LOS ANGELES (AP) - British star Emma Thompson has been enshrined in concrete outside the historic Pig 'n Whistle pub on Hollywood Boulevard. The 51-year-old actress was presented with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Friday, two weeks ahead of the Aug. 20 release of her latest film, "Nanny McPhee Returns." "Nanny" castmate Maggie Gyllenhaal and "House" star Hugh Laurie, whom Thompson dated when they attended England's University of Cambridge, were on hand for the midday ceremony. Thompson won an Academy Award for her leading role as Margaret Schlegel in 1992's "Howard's End." She won a second Oscar in 1996 for best adapted screenplay for "Sense and Sensibility," for which she also received a best actress nomination.

Warwick to headline Rangel NYC birthday fundraiser

NEW YORK (AP) - Singers Dionne Warwick and Chuck Jackson will headline next week's birthday fundraising bash for embattled Democratic New York Rep. Charles Rangel. First lady of soul Aretha Franklin was originally scheduled to perform at the event, which is set for Aug. 11 at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. But Franklin canceled after being sidelined with an injury. Franklin's cancellation is just one of a spate of problems that have plagued the fundraiser since a House ethics panel charged Rangel with 13 violations last month. A number of high-profile New York Democrats have not confirmed they'll attend even though their names are on the invitation. They include Sen. Chuck Schumer and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who is running for governor. Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican-turned-independent, is expected to attend, as is Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Vince McMahon sick of Sen. campaign WWE smackdowns

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - Vince McMahon, chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, says his wife's political opponents are taking unfair shots at his business to try to discredit her U.S. Senate candidacy. In an interview with The Associated Press, McMahon says the wrestling empire's detractors have taken snippets of footage out of context, such as a necrophilia scene and one in which a woman barks like a dog at his command. McMahon says opponents of his wife, Linda McMahon, left out the "soap opera elements" leading up to those moments. He concedes the WWE has made some mistakes. He says the company two years ago decided to move away from "shock TV" to more family-friendly scenes. Linda McMahon, former CEO of WWE, faces two opponents in the Aug. 10 Republican primary.